Turnabout, Church Murder!
by Kia Usumi
Summary: Someone murdered in a church? And they're accusing Maya of the crime. And why the heck has Phoenix been dragged to Arizona? Plus, all your favorite characters are making appearances!
1. Chapter 1

**Turnabout, Church Murder?! Chapter 1**

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St. Mary's Church

Phoenix, AZ

Sunday 9:32 a.m.

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The solid white hallways were silent in the morning sun. The stain glass windows reflects all kinds of light onto the polished off white tiles. At this time, Phoenix Wright had just realized how hot it was in Arizona. Now, why has Maya dragged him here again?

_This city is named after you! We should totally go!_

"Well, that explains why we are in hot Arizona," Phoenix noted out loud, "But why a church?"

_Oh my gosh! This place is so pretty! Let's check it out!_ Maya had urged upon seeing the outside of the building. Phoenix had reluctantly followed but couldn't stand sitting in on the Sunday mass and had wandered off farther in the church. He turned a corner and realized he was back where he started. "They should be about finished now." He noted pushing the side door quietly open. Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, was not expecting the scene in front of him.

A man lay on the ground, not breathing and his heartbeat slowing down with each passing second. A younger girl crouched over him looking very desperate and crying uncontrollably. There were two more people, about the same age as the collapsed man, standing slightly further back with the priest who was praying. A third man came up to the younger girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Why? Why is he dying?" She muttered under her breath. The man next to her shrugged. "Please," here she turned to the priest. "You have to save him! Do something! Anything!" She became hysterical.

The priest turned to the pair next to him. "Call for an ambulance..." Was his quiet order.

Maya had come over to Phoenix. "He just passed out into the aisle from his seat. Nobody has any idea what happened to him, but he's dying and fast." Here Phoenix nodded. "Can't we do anything for him?"

Phoenix looked once more at the scene in front of him. "I don't think we can, Maya. Do you know who they are?"

"Well, the guy's name is Matt and the younger girl is his sister, but that's all I know."

The police choose this moment to burst into the room. "Nobody move!" They shouted. Everyone in their seats turned to look at the sudden intrusion. It was silent except for the sobbing of a crying sister.

"You and you," one officer pointed to Maya and then to the young girl, "Come with me. The rest of you, do not leave until you are questioned!"

"Huh? Why me?!" Maya asked as she was led away.

"You look suspicious." The officer claimed as he practically pulled the girl off the floor. "Now, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford one, one will be provided for you."

Maya looked over her shoulder. "Phoenix, you'll be my lawyer, right?" He nodded as he watched them retreat from the scene of a crime.

_Why does this happen everywhere we go?_

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_a/n: Yeay, first chapter done. I wrote it quickly, so there are a lot of errors. I plan to eventually go back and fix this chapter. Let me know what you thought and constructive criticism it great!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Turnabout, Chruch Murder?! Chapter 2**

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Detention Center

Phoenix, AZ

Sunday 11:15 a.m.

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Maya smiled at Phoenix from behind the bullet proof glass. "Never thought I'd end up here in another country, did ya?" Her smile seemed to grow at that.

Phoenix wasn't smiling. "Why did they arrest you?"

"Well, I did look suspicious," Maya replied thoughtfully. "And, they looked up my record right before they questioned me. Apparently they don't care if I was proven not guilty in all my previous offences." She made a sour face before resuming her smiling. "Have you found out anything yet?"

"No, I want to question the other girl but she has not been released yet." He looked absentmindedly to the security guard in the corner. _This reminds me too much of Japan._

"Her name's Keila Woods, or at least that's what I've heard. Other than that, I really can't help you much."

"Can you describe what happened one more time?"

"Sure," Maya took in a breath before she began. "The priest guy had just finished his last sermon and everyone was about to leave, but this guy cringed in pain and fell to the floor. (I was sitting behind them.) His sister, the Keila girl, rushed to his side and began asking him if he was ok. He could barely breathe and they said is heart rate was dropping rapidly. I personally think he was poisoned but..."

"You mentioned them, was there anyone else sitting with the siblings, perhaps a parent?" Phoenix asked as he memorizing Maya's description.

"There was this other guy, real dark hair and dark eyes, and a girl, brown hair I guess, both close to the age of the victim. I didn't see any parents."

_Maya's gotten better at this._ "Do you know their names or relation to the victim?"

"I don't have a clue. Try asking Keila when she's out of questioning."

"Ok, if you remember anything else..."

"Oh, there was one more thing!" Maya exclaimed turning to the security guard and asking him for something. He handed Maya a photo which she promptly handed to Phoenix. "This was taken right as he collapsed."

The pictured showed a guy with light hair lying on the floor. There was a small, almost unnoticeable, plastic cup lying under his seat. There were four other people standing up behind the victim and there was Maya in the background looking like she was...

"Were you coughing in this picture?"

"Yeah, is that important?"

"It makes you look more suspicious." He slipped the photo into his pocket. "I'm going to go see the crime scene. If anything comes up—"

"I'll call you immediately." She saluted him as he went back into the bright world.

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_a/n: this is chapter 2! It's finished, also finished quickly but I think I spent more time editing it. I'm going to have someone help me beta soon, but I was being lazy. Small edits from chapter 1: I changed some spelling and changed the victim's name. Chapter 3 is almost finshed, but I think I'll wait until I go on break to finish it! Thank you for reading!_

_And thank you those who read this story and reviewed. It helped me a lot!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Turnabout, Church Murder?! Chapter 3 **

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St. Mary's Church

Phoenix, AZ

Sunday 12:23 p.m.

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The crime scene was marked off and the police forbid anyone to come in. Phoenix had already tried every entrance, presenting his attorney's badge to every officer, and was still forbidden from entering.

"Now what? This is usually the time when Gumshoe shows up..." _Usually messing something up and allowing me in._ He didn't speak the last part out loud in fear of Gumshoe appearing.

"Hey, pal!" Came a familiar voice.

_Thank you!_ "Hi Gumshoe. What are you doing here?"

"I was fired from my post in Edgeworth's office so I decided to move!" He replied as if it was the most normal of things to do.

Phoenix stared at him. "I see. Are you the detective for this case?" Phoenix attempted to look innocent.

"Yeah, pal! My first big case in America!"

"Do you have the autopsy report?" Phoenix tried not to look too hopeful.

"Of course! Wait," Gumshoe stopped short of handing the report over. _Dang._ Phoenix thought. "Why would you need the autopsy report?"

"I'm the lawyer for this case. I haven't been given anything concerning the case, not even the way in which the victim died."

"Oh," Gumshoe looked blank. Phoenix took this chance to look over the report.

Victim: Matthew Woods Age: 18

Time of Death: Sunday 11:36 a.m.

Poisoned, slight puncture wounds in arm. Still confirming source of poison and how it was transferred into the body.

"Looks like Maya was right." Phoenix muttered. "Is there anyway I can take a look around?"

"Sure pal! Just let them know Gumshoe sent you!" Gumshoe waved as Phoenix retreated into the church.

It was again quiet in the church. There were supposed to be many investigators running around but there were none when Phoenix walked in. He immediately scanned the room for something he might have missed earlier but found nothing. From there, he located the bench where Matt had been sitting at the time of his murder. He looked underneath the bench and found that the small plastic cup was still there. Phoenix hastily took a picture with his phone and made a note of it for his court record.

He moved on to the actual bench. There were small traces of a white powder but it didn't appear, to Phoenix, to be any form of poison.

"It's sugar." A voice called to Phoenix.

"Sugar?" He turned and saw the girl from the photo.

"The investigators told me it was sugar."

"Oh," Phoenix stared dumbly at the girl. She had a dark brown hair color, unnatural, and bright emerald green eyes. They almost reminded Phoenix of one of the seven deadly sins, envy. She wore a pastel pink dress with a cream jacket. "Who are you?"

"I'm Candi A. Peel. I was the victim's girlfriend." She replied with a weak smile.

"So this is just sugar? Why is there sugar here?" He asked this question more to himself than Candi.

"If you could answer that, the investigators would be very envious." Candi stated without emotion. She seemed to be on autopilot, walking around and answering questions without thought.

"Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Anything to help," She replied unconsciously bringing her arms close to her body. Phoenix led her out into the hallway and onto a wooden bench. The stain glass windows reflected lights across her face. It made her look more magical and, in a way, more sad.

"Can I get your account of what happened before Matt collapsed?" Phoenix asked in careful tone.

"We were just listening to Father Greg, the priest," Candi gave a side look to Phoenix, who nodded, before continuing. "Right before, Matt had gone out to get something to drink. He said he was so thirsty he could hardly breathe. I wanted to follow him." Her eyes were cast down and she was playing with the edge of her cream over jacket.

"Did he come back with a plastic cup?"

"No, I don't remember seeing him with a plastic cup. If anything, Matt came back thirstier than before." There was thoughtful undertone to her voice.

"Do you know of anyone who might want to kill him?"

"I...honestly can't. Everyone likes Matt; anyone who didn't wouldn't hate him enough to kill." Candi looked at Phoenix again. Her eyes, if possible, looked even greener. "Well, there was his best friend but he didn't have an ill will towards Matt. They fought like friends though."

_This is going to get ugly fast._ "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I think he was taken down to police station for questioning. If he's not there, this is his apartment." Candi scribbled down an address. Phoenix shoved it in his pocket and rose from his seat.

"Thank you for your help. If I have any more questions I'll come find you." Phoenix slightly bowed and left the girlfriend of the victim sitting by herself in a church.

a/n: first I want to thank Holly Unending for betaing this chapter! Thank you soooooo much! Secondly I want to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this story! It's been so nice having people help me by reviewing.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was longer than the rest have been. I've already started chapter 4 and I hope to have it done soon. So, stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

**Turnabout, Church Murder?! Chapter 4**

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Phoenix Police Station

Phoenix, AZ

Sunday 1:50 p.m.

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Phoenix walked towards the police station less than happy. So far, none of his witnesses were helpful in anyway and he was unfamiliar with the prosecutor he was going to face. _What have I gotten myself into?_

The doors slid open to the station and Phoenix walked to the officer in charge. "Is there a man here for questioning in the Matthew Woods case?"

"It depends on whose asking." The officer looked over his stack of work, making brief eye contact before turning around to a filing cabinet. He didn't seem like the kind of officer that should be in charge.

"I'm Phoenix Wright, the lawyer of the defendant. I would like to ask the witness a few questions."

"A lawyer?" The officer turned back around. "Oh, I see. You don't look like much of a lawyer." He set the file down. "You can talk with him when the prosecutor is done."

Phoenix turned around and spotted a chair he could wait in. His eyes close briefly as he tried to relax. _Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. Why does work always surround me when I don't need it and never when I'm broke?_ His spiky hair prevented him from leaning back against the wall so he chose to lean forward instead, head in his hands. His thoughts shifted, yet again, to why he was here.

_"Nick! You look stressed out! We should go on a vacation!" Maya had come into the Law Offices of Wright & Co. that hot afternoon with more energy than normal. He looked at her as he would any other day and waved it off._

_"We don't have time. I need to finish looking over this evidence and preparing a plan for tomorrow's trial, and who knows how long Edgeworth will try to drag it out." He sighed and his eyes shifted back to the work in front of him._

_"But Nick! You've been working for two months straight now! You _need_ a vacation." Maya pouted._

_"Maybe next month." Phoenix sighed looking at his upbeat friend, for lack of better word._

_"Nick," Maya was exasperated. "I already bought the tickets!"_

_"With what?" Now, Phoenix wasn't one to ever be surprised by his friend's actions but where on earth had Maya found money for plane tickets?_

_"Come on, we're going to Arizona!" She pulled at his sleeve. Scratch that. How did she find enough money to by tickets to another country?_

_"After the trial, Maya." Phoenix gave in, official distracted from the trial by Maya obtaining mysterious plane tickets._

A door dramatically opened at the end of a hallway stirring Phoenix from his thoughts. "Yeah! We're going to win!" A brightly color girl with blonde hair walked out from the double doors. She punched the air in triumph before turning to the guard. "Now, don't let him get away!" Her smile seemed out of place in the dark station.

Another girl came scurrying after her clutching a clipboard tight to her chest. Her clothes weren't as bright but her hair was unusual. There were hints of pink highlights throughout her light brown hair. "So sorry," she directed at the officer, "we took longer than we thought."

The officer smiled at them. "No problem at all Holly, Karla." He nodded to each of them.

"Can we have tea now?" the blonde turned to what appeared to be her assistant.

"Of course, but we have to drop these files at your office first."

"Great! We can have tea there."

"Excuse me," Phoenix interrupted the two girls. "Are you the prosecutor?"

"Yeah, I'm the prosecutor. The name's Holly Unending!" The blonde proudly stated.

The other inclined her head slightly. "I'm her assistant, Karla." She didn't bother to give her last name and almost instantly looked suspicious of Phoenix. "And you are?"

"Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney," He stated.

"No way!" Holly shouted pointing. "The Mr. Wright! I don't believe it. Is Maya with you? Or Edgeworth?"

Her eagerness and excitement startled Phoenix. "Um, no?" Was the only response he could come up with.

"Ah, Phoenix Wright, famous Japanese lawyer. Has never lost a case. Very famous to any attorney either side of the ocean." Karla's statements were all true and she stated them the entire time she was scribbling on her ever present clipboard.

"I'm famous?" Phoenix asked incredulously.

"Of course! Can I have your autograph?" Holly was suddenly holding a small book of white paper out towards Phoenix, her eyes shining.

"Holly, we really do have another appointment to make," Karla watched as Phoenix signed. "And if you would like tea, we must leave now."

"Ok," She shut the book and put it back in her bright yellow bag. "Bye Phoenix!"

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a/n: well, this chapter had actually been done for awhile. I want to thank Holly for putting up with my nonsense and forcing her to be the prosecutor. I also want to thank everyone that has been reading this. It means a lot that some one actually likes my work!

In response to Coffee and Twinkies review: wow! I can't believe you actually looked it up. Arizona is also my homestate so now I feel bad that I was to lazy to look up times and all exact info! haha...

Again, thank you and I hope all of you will stay tuned for more!


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